Of all Jesus’ parables, none has worked its way deeper into the American consciousness as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Familiar to believers and unbelievers alike, the phrase “Good Samaritan” is used to describe any person who goes out of his way to help another. Hospitals are named Good Samaritan. All 50 states have a Good […]

Most people love a good story whether told in the form of a great movie, a well-crafted novel, or a friend’s colorful retelling of one over coffee. It has always been this way. Jesus revealed some of His most important teachings in the form of stories we call “parables”. When Jesus spoke to the multitudes, He often explained […]

When it comes to the International Man of Mystery you probably think of Austin Powers.  He is the revealer or the mystery of the church.  Now you might not think of church as a mystery. But in Paul’s day it was. After all how in the world can Gentiles (that would be you and I) get in […]

The Amityville Horror was a movie based upon a book by the same name.  I did not read the book or see the movie. Supposedly, they were living scared within a “haunted house.”  But living without Christ in a fallen world is much scarier.  And that is the horror story in which we are all […]

This Sunday we look at one of the great Christogical passages in all the Bible, Colossians 1:15-20.  Paul just prayed for these new believers to know the Will of God and to Walk with God, being Fruitful, Knowledgeable, Powerful and Thankful, Colossians 1:9-14.  As I pointed out last week, these new believers needed to know […]

If you could pray like the Apostle Paul, would you?  I think most of us would love to be able to pray like an Apostle.  The reality is you can!  The prayers of the Apostle Paul are recorded in the New Testament.  One of those prayers is the focus of our time together in the Word […]

Dateline Israel, in 2005, researchers discovered several 2000 year date palm seeds. The seeds were found at Masada.  After soaking them in water, and later a nutrient solution, they were planted in pots in a botanical laboratory.  Three months later the soil began to crack as a date palm sprouted.  They named it Methuselah.  How cool is […]

The seductive allure of the counterfeit has confounded men throughout the ages. Homer, in his mythological tale The Odyssey personified the perils of deception in the story of the Sirens—mythological half-woman, half-bird creatures who lived on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Their beautiful, melodious songs were so enchanting that passing sailors strayed from their […]

LIFE:  DON’T LEAVE EARTH WITHOUT IT! Cynthia is the consummate packer. Whenever we leave on a trip she methodically and thoughtfully lays out each days “outfit” and puts a small piece of paper with the days date on it.  She never over packs.  (I think it has something to do with her Swiss-German genes.)  I […]

Remember… Our faith is based on the most scandalous event in human history—the resurrection of a dead man. Sometimes the story of Jesus’ resurrection sounds so familiar to us that we do not let the significance of it sink in as deeply as it should. Easter is coming, but before we get there, take some time […]